A Review of the Fall 1996 Tour

Date: November 12


From: "justin honold" (jhonold@igateway.net) concert: needless to say, one cannot convert into words what is best summed up in an experience. if you're reading this and don't have tickets yet, buy them. i managed to get tickets the night of the concert (it had been sold out for a couple weeks - i didn't hear about them going on sale), and it was WELL worth the money. they played the rage against the machine album before the cows came on, and after they left they played a little skinny puppy followed by miscellaneous music i didn't recognize. the place was PACKED, and there were pot smokers on my flanks. the american theatre is my favorite place to see any concert in st. louis because of its personable nature. the pit is about a foot away from the stage, and you can see pretty well from anywhere. cows: from the reviews posted on this page, one cannot help having at least a slightly negative connotation of this band. i went in expecting the worst, and i didn't really get it. the lead singer wasn't wearing a sailor suit, and he didn't eat a banana from his pants; he came out sporting a strange mask and later exited to return with big eye glasses. i didn't find the music to be something i would run out and buy, but the "noise" segments were more intermittent than i expected. overall, it wasn't that bad of a show, and i only heard two asshole shout-outs. they had a fairly decent pit going, too. i'd give them an above-average rating in light of what's been posted here, but hey, that's me. tool: they didn't open with third eye, nor did they play that, h, hooker with a penis (i wanted to hear that one), or cold and ugly. i saw danny carey in the lobby just walking in, escorted by suits. everyone he was with was concerned that he would get mauled, but he remained smiling and commented on how no one recgonized him. i should have said something. oh well. their new posters/hats/shirts/etc are EXCELLENT, my favorite being an underwater shot. maynard was wearing blackened eye and face makeup, but wasn't painted blue. maynard did his typical dancing onstage, which is always entertaining. there was an extended verse on prison sex, he changed some opiate verbs to "use", and he said the "fuck retro anything" verse before the "fuck l. ron hubbard" one. the crowd comments were the same as the others, nothing really personal or different for st. louis. the "yes" thing was pretty amusing. he commented, "just say yes." he did ask if anyone was at the kc show, and asked if they didn't mind his repeating himself. they played stinkfist, eulogy, 46 and 2, swamp song, opiate, sober (with super intro, where he whispered inaudible things into the mic), prison sex, undertow, jimmy, pushit, and Ænema. i didn't get to see the whole screen from where i was standing, but i enjoyed the wire-face guy. their tightness as a band is an attribute almost unseen live, their songs a replica of the album counterparts. maynard's voice was impeccable. after having seen this, i really wish that i had tickets to another one of their shows, because i wouldn't mind taking a road trip for that. a definite must-see. author: i am well aware that my writing style sucks :) justin honold